Exhibitions at the Museum


 We have been lucky over the past few years, to secure funding to help with temporary exhibitions at the Museum. From The Somme exhibition in 2016 to Blood, Sweat & Tears our Afghanistan exhibition last year, we have researched, written text, sourced photos and used objects from the collections to provide additional history for visitors.

This evening I am finishing off an article about working with veterans on the Afghan project, and thinking about the great work they did to ensure the exhibition was factually correct. It was a fantastic co-produced project which has generated alot of interest from other Museums. Their contribution was exceptional and it was wonderful to work with them to produce a first class exhibition. So as I am thinking about BST, I have included the wonderful signpost produced by Tony, one of the participants. He phoned round his friends to get names of other Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) for the signpost and I persuaded him to include 'Barrow' for one of the other veterans who was involved.

I smile when I see this photo and all the more so as I am still in contact with Tony. He helps run the Carlisle Veterans Hub which currently meets weekly online. He was very complimentary about working on the Afghan project and was one of the participants who was interviewed on film. The final film formed an integral part of the exhibition and received many comments from visitors.

The Museum Association is keen to show that 'Museums Change Lives.' I am sure that the Museum has had a great impact on not only Tony but other veterans that were involved in the project. The Blood, Sweat & Tears project last year was more than an exhibition. It enabled veterans to share their experiences to the wider world. It was a chance to get their voices heard. Any Tony's voice was certainly there amongst them...

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